Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell-- Review & Giveaway

Just for Clicks

by Kara McDowell
Publisher: Amberjack
Release Date: February 19th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

Mommy blogs are great . . . unless the blog happens to belong to your mom.

Twin sisters Claire & Poppy are accidental social media stars thanks to Mom going viral when they were babies. Now, as teens, they're expected to contribute by building their own brand. Attending a NY fashion week and receiving fan mail is a blast. Fending off internet trolls and would-be kidnappers? Not so much. Poppy embraces it. Claire hates it. Will anybody accept her as "just Claire"? And what should Claire do about Mom's old journals? The handwritten entries definitely don't sound like Mom's perfect blog persona. Worse, one of them divulges a secret that leaves Claire wondering what else in her life might be nothing but a sham . . .

I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw that it was about blogging.  I've always wondered what it was like for the children of "mommy bloggers" once they grow up-- and now I've had the chance to read about some!!

It was effortless to fall into this story of twins who grew up in social media spotlight. This book is very NOW-- famous bloggers, Instagram influencers, vlogging, and doing it all for the clicks/likes/comments.  Claire is the twin who feels uncomfortable with being so exposed, Poppy is the one who thrives on it.  When Claire meets someone (Rafael) who seems to not know anything about her online life, her heart soars at the possibility of being able to be someone different around him.

I really liked Claire, but wanted just a tad more from her. She didn't delve into her feelings quite enough for me. Also, I could not visualize her as 1/2 of a famous duo.  They would talk about doing hair tutorial vlogs or Q&A vlogs, and I just could not picture her as one of those upbeat cheery people.  I mean, I knew she was faking it, but I couldn't even picture her doing that convincingly.  She was so unhappy and disinterested in it.

Rafael was adorable and very needed in this book.  The relationship was super slow and more of a friendship for the majority of the book (which is what Claire really needed anyway).  Poppy was a surprising non-factor. I wish she didn't just disappear from the story right when we started to get to know the characters.  Her and Claire's twin connection could have and should have been stronger-- especially after the big twist is revealed.  Where did she go during all of that turmoil??

This book was a happy surprise for me.  I haven't been reading as many fluffy contemporaries and if there are more like this one, I just may get back into them.  It was fun, but had enough serious issues to keep me turning pages.

OVERALL: Cute and thought-provoking!  I fell into this story and ALLLLL the issues that being social media famous brings.  The romance is adorable and slow, the family issues are complicated and scandalous.  I totally recommend this one-- a great debut for this author!

My Rating: 4/5

Born in the mountains and raised in the desert, Kara McDowell spent her childhood swimming, boating, and making up stories in her head. As the middle of five children, Kara entertained her family on long road trips by reading short mystery stories out loud and forcing everyone to guess the conclusion. After graduating from Arizona State University with a BA in English Literature, Kara worked as a freelance writer. Now she writes young adult novels from her home in Arizona, where she lives with her husband and three young sons.

JUST FOR CLICKS is Kara's debut novel.

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